Women-only flight lands in Iranian holy city for first time

An Iranian airline conducted a rare women-only flight on Sunday, landing for the first time in the holy city of Mashhad in the northeast, state media reported.

The Aseman Airlines flight by Shahrzad Shams -- one of Iran's pioneering women pilots -- carried 110 passengers on board, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Dubbed the "Iran Banoo" (Iran Lady) flight, the plane touched down at Hasheminejad International Airport in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city and home to the revered shrine of Imam Reza, one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites.

"This is the first time a women-only flight, with both female passengers and crew, lands in Mashhad," the official IRNA news agency said, without specifying the flight's departure point.

The trip to Mashhad coincided with the anniversary of the birth of Fatima al-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed, according to IRNA.

Iran's aviation industry has seen some women become pilots in recent years, though it remains uncommon.

In October 2019, pilot Neshat Jahandari and co-pilot Forouz Firouzi became the first women to fly a passenger flight in the Islamic Republic's history, according to local media.